Railroad-tie.



PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

"i PPING,

RAILROAD TI APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2s, 19o?.

29th/meses i Y n Ties and I ALFRED S. TQPPIN G, OF GRAN D RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

RAILROAD-TIE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

application led March-28, 1907.4 Serial N o. 365,047.

-To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, ALFRED S. TOPPING, a citizen of the United States, residing vat Grand Rapids, in the coun-ty of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroaddo declare the following to be a clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improved metallic railroad tie provided with means to facilitate the tamplng of the tie and to permit vthe removal thereof from the road bed, and further provided with improved meansfor securing the rails' on the tie so that they cannot spread, and the said invention consists inthe construction, combination and arra ement of devices hereinafter described and c aimed.

In the accompan drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, pill-Ilary section, of a metallic railroad tie and'rail'fastening devices constructed in accordancewith my invention; 2 is partly a top plan view and partly a horizontal sections.' view of the same; and Fig. 3 is partl andpartly a transverse sectional view of the saine. l l l' In accordance with the tie, 1, 1s made of steel,

my invention,

suitable iron, -or 'other -metal, may be wrought, cast orotherwise extending constructed, is h oll lowerv side and at its ends. of my improved tie are lower edges with outwar The side walls -rovided at their y extending base flanges, 3, which form broadened lower sur-V faces to bear on the ground. The said side I walls of the tie are provided at their ends es, 4, theA outer sides of whichl are at a slig t distance with outwardly extending Vfla from the ends of the base flanges. A

The ends of the tiemay be closed by means of an of appropriate size Vto bear on thebase iiangesand against the vertically, outwardly the said plates are bent to provide flanges, 6, to bear against the inner sides of the said flanges 4, and with grooves, 7 ,'to receive said lates may be placed on the ends of the tie on so as to engage them with the. said flanges, 4, at the ends of the tie. It will be ltrains pass y'an end elevation ow and is open onits' are provi lates, 5, which are rectangular in form' flanges, 4, of the tie, and the ends of 1 them with iianges, 4, so that the said endv ofl suliicient size to .by merely pressing them downwardly thereb the road bed, and the end plate must be then secured; iny place.

To remove the tie, one ofthe-end plates must be first removed and the tie can then be readily moved endwise without,lifting the same so'as to cause it to readily disengage from the ridge of earth formed by the -tamping of vthe earth in the'tie, as will be understood.

In the up er side ofthe tie at points coincidentwith the rails, b, are transverse recesses, l1, in which Wooden blocks or lates, 1'2, are placed, and on which Wooden locks or plates said rails bear,- said wooden blocks or plates forming lin eHect cushions between the rails and the tie, andv to a considerable vextent relieving the ties of the concussion.

and also enties to yield somewhat over them.'

I rovide in .combination with my improved tie, rail which has a flange, 14, to bear on one side of the base of the rail, and a vertical flange, 15, to enter one of the said recesses, 11, and bear a ainst the shoulder, 16, formed by the end o? the said recess. Thesaid rail securin devices are referably made of iron or stee -and ed with openings for the reception of bolts, 1.7, which are em loyed to secure said devices onthe tie. l ach of the said bolts has a squared or angular portion near its head, engaging a similarly shaped opening in the depressed portion of the tie forming one ofthe recesses, 11, toprevent said bolt from turning, and the .nuts,`20, of the said caused by the passage of trains,

abling the Vbolts are screwed on the upper ends thereof 4'andabove said devices, 13.

To enable the bolts to be placed soas to lextend throu h as the securing devices, 13, each of 5 the recessed portion ofthe ripper side of t e tie, thesaid openings, 18, through which the squared or angular ortions of the bolts eX- tend, are elongatedJ to form oblique slots which converge towardl 'the rail and are vided at their outer ends with openings, 19, clear vthe headsof the olts and form enlargements ofthe outer'portions of the saidslots.` Such slots facilitate theplacing of the rail `securing devices on the tie and in engagement with the rails, and also yfacilitate the removal of such devices When 1t 1s deslred to remove or take u the rails.

Since the flanges 15 of the rai securing de# vlees, 13,A 11e 1n the ends of the recesses. i5

5.and against the shoulders 16 forming the v'ends of said recesses, and since the said rail securing devices are firmly held in place by tl'ie bolts, l?, it will be understood that the said devi 15 ings, the construction and operation of the invention may be readi f understood Without requiring a more extended explanation.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- 2D Patent, is:

l. A hollow metallic railroad Jsie, open at its ,ends and having closures slidably mounted on said ends.

are etlfeotually prevented from 10 moving outwardly, and7 hence; sani devices sessel 2. A hollow metallic' railroad tie, open at its ends and having guides rranged thereon and closures for said ends slideble on said rides. y )E 3. A hollow lnetallic railroad tie, open at 'its ends, having outwardly extending base ,flanges and provided at its ends with ont- "-lwardly extendingl flanges, in eoinbination ,'Wth detaehableplates forming closures for `the ends of said tie, said plates bearing on the ,lends ofthe base flanges and aganstthe ends of the tie, and having inwardly extending anges and grooves coeacting with the end ianges ofthe tie to securel said plates in place.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- .nesses.

Witnesses :1

Je H. TQLAND, D. R. FEAsoiv.

@rianne- Terrine. y 

